


Sinking

by GetOutOFMyTreeNovice



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: Kissing, M/M, Mentions of Drowning, fluffy garbage, hydrophobia, maria dies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-06
Updated: 2015-02-06
Packaged: 2018-03-10 17:17:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3298118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GetOutOFMyTreeNovice/pseuds/GetOutOFMyTreeNovice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Altair likes to sit on the dock. </p><p>Inspiration from this post http://theangryassassin.tumblr.com/post/110143705352/otpprompts-imagine-person-a-is-extremely</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sinking

Altair liked to sit on the dock. He liked to dangle his feet over the edge of it, keeping them just above the inky water, and sometimes bob his toes on the surface so the fish could nip at them. He never went in the water, Allah no, but he liked to sit on the dock and look at it. Reminisce in things lost. 

Sometimes Altair saw things under the waves, shiny, flashy things that moved so fast he only caught a glimpse. Silver and blue and red and green, long, slender tails and sharp fins came into his sight, but only for a second. They were just fish, he told himself. They were just fish. 

The fishermen sometimes kept him company, talking quietly with him while they baited their lines and waited for a fish to bite. They asked him if he wanted to swim with them when they were finished, bodies hot and sweaty, stripping naked to jump into the ocean, laughing heartily at the sharp coldness of the water. He always refused, folding his legs up on the dock and enjoying the sun beating down on his back, watching the men cool off and play. He never saw the 'just fish' when anyone else was around. It was just small things darting away from the splashing.

He noticed recently a different sort of shape moving in the water. It was black, damned near impossible to see unless he looked real hard, long and almost snakelike as it moved silently. He sometimes would bring little pieces of food, bread and corn and little chunks of meat, to drop into the water for the fish and the other things. Sometimes he'd feel slimy fish scales slide under his toes, but he hadn't seen anything too large come close to him. 

Altair was on a little motorboat when it happened, laughing with his girlfriend in her string bikini, driving the thing out to sea to impress her. She smiled and leaned forward, her arms pressing her breasts together in a way he didn't want to stop looking at. He didn't notice the air turn cold or the little waves evolve into larger ones until one crashed into the side, tossing Maria and making him stagger sideways. She was scared and was scrabbling to grab him when the second wave hit, sending her over the side. Altair, full of adrenaline and fear, jumped in after her and saw her sucked down as a wave crashed over him. She was gone and he looked for her, but he was choking on water, coughing and snorting it out his nose just as another wave rolled over him. He came to the surface again, spitting out water and trying to get to his boat, his heart heavy. Maria was gone. Altair heaved himself up onto the side of his boat and lay in the bottom and breathed, forcing air through his lungs as he coughed with little sobs. He lost Maria. 

Altair stared out over the water, tapping his fingers on his knee. He tried not to remember that day, but he thought he deserved the panic in his chest, the sick feeling in his stomach. It was his fault. He closed his eyes and fought down the urge to vomit, clenching his fists. His fault. 

“Are you okay?” a soft voice in front of him said, making him jump and his eyes snap open. It was a man. A beautiful man with dark skin and darker eyes. He was waist deep in the water and staring at Altair with the oddest expression. Altair forgot himself for a minute and just stared at the man, dumbstruck by his beauty. There were odd black things on his arms by his elbows and Altair squinted. The man tilted his head, a mess of black hair dripping water down his face. “Are you okay?” 

“What? Oh, I. Yeah. I'm okay.” Altair sputtered. The man smirked a bit and moved a bit closer. Altair stared at his chest without any shame. Two hands landed on Altair's knees and he stared at them for a bit until he realized they were webbed. “What?” 

“Not much for talking for a landie.” The man scoffed, watching Altair. He then flicked his eyes behind Altair and frowned before disappearing into the water. Altair blinked and opened his mouth and closed it again before the heavy hand of one of the fishermen landed on his shoulder.

“You alright there, lad?” His gruff voice brought Altair out of his shocked trance and Altair tore his eyes away from the ocean. 

“I'm fine. How are you?” He didn't forget the odd man, but put him in the back of his mind. 

 

Altair sat on the dock and waited, wondering about that man. He was beautiful, but Altair was having trouble remembering what he looked like. He dipped his toes in the water, kicking his legs impatiently. He dropped back on the dock, sighing. He stared at the sky, all stupid and blue and deceptively peaceful. He knew it could start storming at any time. 

Hands wrapped around Altair's ankles and pulled and for a wild moment of flailing limbs, Altair thought it was Maria come to drag him under with her, but when he lurched forward to swat the hands off, it was that beautiful man. Altair froze and the man smiled a bit. 

“Didn't mean to scare you that much,” The man said, releasing Altair. “What's your name? You have those, right?”

“Uh, yeah. It's Altair.” He frowned, blinking. What.

“You can call me Malik,” the man said, moving closer to set his webbed hands on Altair's knees again. Malik must have been really tall, Altair thought to himself. “Do you have any food this time? I'm starving.” And Altair realized then, at that second, what Malik was. 

“You don't eat humans?” Altair blurted stupidly, images of beautiful siren maids singing, images of Malik's dark eyes, luring men to their deaths. Malik blinked and jolted back, as if shocked. He disappeared and Altair felt for a second or two like diving in after him. He left the dock early that day.

The next few days, Malik didn't show up. Altair spent more time pacing than sitting and the fishermen were concerned when they saw him. They asked, but Altair wouldn't say anything. Malik was his. Malik had chosen him to show himself to. 

Altair sat on the dock and dropped food into the water and let the fish nibble his toes. He started to wonder why he even came back to the water after Maria. It terrified him. He still had nightmares of drowning and it's been two years. He closed his eyes. 

“We don't really eat humans.” Malik's voice was soft and Altair blinked at him. There was something in his hand. Malik reached out and Altair offered his own hand. A pearl dropped into his palm and Altair felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards the small token of forgiveness. “Why is your face leaking?” 

“I'm sorry. I missed you.” Altair said, wiping his eyes. Malik smiled at him and took his hand. He tugged gently. 

“Come on,” Malik said. “I missed you too.” Altair frowned and looked down.

“I can't. The water scares me.” He said. The thought made his throat clench. Malik reached up to touch Altair's face. 

“Can I kiss you?” Malik was watching him with him beautiful eyes and Altair thought he might die if he looked away. Altair nodded and held his breath and Malik kissed him, arms wrapped around Altair's waist. Altair felt Malik start to pull him off the dock, and he resisted, but Malik's lips were still on his and his body wanted it a lot. So he let himself be pulled into the water and clung to Malik, focusing on the kiss and Malik's tongue that was suddenly in his mouth.

He was sinking. He thought about fighting, but he held his breath and wrapped his legs around Malik's waist and shuddered violently as his head was submerged, panic welling in his chest. He accidentally tried to inhale, and was shocked to find he could breathe. Malik was breathing into his mouth with the kiss. Altair relaxed and kissed him back with gratitude. 

Then they were back on the surface and Malik pulled away, smiling. “Better?” Altair hugged him.

“Thank you,” he said. He wondered what that foreign feeling in his chest was and looked at Malik and then realized he had fallen in love. Maybe it was because of Malik's siren nature, but Altair was in love with him. 

And if he started crying again, it was just saltwater running down his face.


End file.
